Beds, chairs, tables and black garbage bags stuffed with possessions covered the lawn of the north Minneapolis apartment building, as its suddenly homeless residents milled around, wondering where they would go next.

On Thursday, Minneapolis police evicted residents from their apartments, workers pounded plywood over the lower-level windows and barricaded the front door of 3101 6th St. N.

Another victim of the foreclosures plaguing the city's North Side, the eight-unit complex had fallen into disrepair and its landlord's rental license was revoked.

Thursday's action was part of the city's continuing crackdown on problem properties and pleased the neighbors, who were tired of the drug dealing and other trouble that had resulted in more than 1,100 police calls about the building since 1999.

But while the city had warned them on May 1 to move out, residents had held out hope that a last-minute takeover of the property by new management would allow them to stay. On Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., they learned that wouldn't happen.

"We hoped they'd give us 48 hours," resident Johnnie McLaughlin said Thursday afternoon. "We can't get U-Hauls, we don't have credit cards.

"I have a daughter coming home from school with no home."

Built in 1962, the building was owned by Shirley Guevara until she lost it to foreclosure in August, according to Hennepin County property documents. The lender's interest in the property was assigned to Bayview Loan Servicing LLC of Coral Gables, Fla.

Drug-dealing was 'inexcusable'

Even before the foreclosure, however, the property was a focus of frustration for others in the Hawthorne neighborhood.

"The amount of drug-dealing that was allowed to go on there was inexcusable," said neighbor Peter Teachout. "They [tenants] were aiding and abetting it as far as I was concerned."

The apartment lies in the middle of a four-square-block area targeted by the neighborhood and city for spot redevelopment. Although the project doesn't require the building, the behavior of tenants affects the neighborhood, according to Jeff Skrenes, housing director for the Hawthorne Area Community Council.

Skrenes said that the building was clearly posted on May 1 with a notice that tenants had to depart on May 15. That deadline was extended by a week when a management company representing the new owners unsuccessfully sought a rental license from the city. He said that shortly after the posting he contacted tenants with information about homeless shelters and housing-search information, but got no response.

"We don't want to lose sight of the human element of what's happening here, but from the standpoint of livability, I'm a very happy man that we're pushing the drug dealers out of the neighborhood," Skrenes said.

The six families that lived at 3101 6th St. N. acknowledge that drug dealers congregated on the property, but said it had nothing to do with them.

"We'd call the cops, but I wasn't going to go out there and confront them," said 23-year-old Torrie Thomas while holding his 5-month-old son. "There would be three or four of them, and I'd end up getting my butt kicked."

Residents fear theft of belongings

Residents said they expect thieves to break into the building and steal both material items of value and the copper in the building.